Lithuania restricts in-country work residence permit applications from 1 November 2026

Foreign nationals staying in Lithuania on a Schengen visa can no longer submit an application for an employment-based temporary residence permit from inside the country. The restriction took effect on 1 November 2026 following amendments to Lithuania's Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners, the Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania said.

Key facts

• Effective date: 1 November 2026
• Affected: foreign nationals applying for a temporary residence permit based on employment
• Schengen visa holders and holders of a national visa from another country must apply from abroad
• Highly qualified employment is excluded from the new restriction
• Applications to replace an existing work-based permit are unchanged

What is changing?

Until now, a wider group of foreign nationals legally present in Lithuania could hand in an employment-based temporary residence permit application directly to the Migration Department. Under the amended rules, that option is limited to specific categories of residents and visa holders.

Anyone in Lithuania on a Schengen visa issued by Lithuania or by another Schengen country, or on a national visa issued by another country, falls outside those categories. Those applicants must submit their paperwork from abroad rather than from within Lithuania.

Who can still apply from inside Lithuania?

A foreign national legally present in Lithuania may still file an employment-based temporary residence permit application directly with the Migration Department if they hold one of the following:

• a valid Lithuanian temporary residence permit
• a Lithuanian national visa
• a residence permit issued by another Schengen or EU Member State
• legal stay in Lithuania under the visa-free regime

Are there exceptions?

Yes. The restrictions do not apply to highly qualified employment. Foreign nationals coming to Lithuania for highly qualified work may continue to lodge temporary residence permit applications under the usual procedure while legally present in the country.

The process for replacing an existing employment-based temporary residence permit also remains the same. The Migration Department will accept a replacement application where the applicant holds a valid employment-based temporary residence permit and no more than six months remain before it expires.

What this means for travellers

Anyone planning to take up employment in Lithuania while staying there on a Schengen visa or on another country's national visa now has to arrange the application from outside Lithuania, so the change needs to be factored in before travel or relocation plans are finalised.

Applicants who fall into one of the listed categories, or who are coming for highly qualified work, can still apply while in the country. Those approaching expiry of an existing work-based permit have the unchanged option of filing a replacement up to six months before the permit runs out.

The amendments have been in force since 1 November 2026. No further review date or additional transition period is mentioned.